Redemption ticket maker

Abstract

A ticket making apparatus includes a feed mechanism and a perforating assembly set within a housing that has an opening through which tickets are dispensed. The perforating assembly perforates a flexible material to define individual tickets. The apparatus can also include a slicer assembly to slice the flexible material into strips of tickets. The apparatus can also include a printing mechanism for adding print to the flexible material. A method for making tickets includes feeding a flexible material into a perforating assembly and dispensing the perforated material as a plurality of tickets. The method can also include synchronizing the flexible material to the rotation of the perforating assembly, slicing the flexible material into strips of tickets, and printing on the flexible material.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A ticket making apparatus comprising: 
       a feed system for drawing paper from a stack of fan-folded, sheets connected together at pre-existing perforations, said drive system employing pins circumferentially disposed about a plurality of rotating rollers, to engage longitudinally spaced apart tractor holes on said paper to move said paper through said apparatus;  
       a perforating station for perforating the paper at intervals defined by a predetermined ticket length as said feed system directs said paper therethrough, said perforating station including a cylindrical platen cooperating with a rotating cylindrical perforator wherein the paper is fed between the cylindrical platen and the rotating cylindrical perforator, the perforator having a circumference equal to an integer number of sheets, said cylindrical perforator having radially spaced-apart rows of knives where the length of the arc on the cylindrical perforator's circumference between said rows is one ticket length, except a row of knives is omitted at intervals defined on said circumference of the perforator defining one sheet length, and wherein feed system is synchronized with the perforating station such that a location of each missing row of knives coincides with a location of the pre-existing perforation of the paper as the paper is fed through the perforating station.  
     
     
       2. The ticket making apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the circumference of the cylindrical perforator is equal in length to one sheet of the fan-folded paper. 
     
     
       3. The ticket making apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a ticket printing station for incorporating print on said paper. 
     
     
       4. The ticket making apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a slicing assembly, said slicing assembly comprising: 
       a rotatable cylindrical member including at least one continuous, circumferential blade; and  
       a rotating cylindrical platen cooperating with the rotatable cylindrical member to frictionally move said paper therebetween;  
       wherein the at least one continuous, circumferential blade slices the paper as the paper passes between the cylindrical member and the rotating cylindrical platen.  
     
     
       5. The ticket making apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the knives are selected and positioned to perforate the paper to an approximate degree of the pre-existing perforations.